GEORGE Osborne’s plans for a so-called “Northern powerhouse” look to be in tatters today after research showed that 10 of the 12 towns and cities who are finding things toughest are in the north.

A table published by the influential Joseph Rowntree Foundation think tank puts places which the Chancellor wants to target in his plans to boost the economy in the north as among the most struggling in the country.

The study analysed the fortunes of 74 cities with populations of more than 100,000 people.

The index is based on changes in employment rates, levels of highly-qualified workers, the number and type of full-time jobs, net migration rates, population change and change in rank.

The research group said growth in many northern cities was lagging significantly behind national levels.

In a submission ahead of next month's Budget, the foundation said the Treasury could create financial incentives for councils to tackle unemployment.

Josh Stott, policy and research manager at JRF, said: "Britain has the potential to become a more prosperous country, with George Osborne's Northern Powerhouse playing a key role in rebalancing the economy.

"But it must reach all parts of the North to ensure prosperity is shared. To rebalance the economy and ensure local growth provides opportunity for all households, the Treasury needs to ensure areas outside of core cities are not left behind.

"City leaders, with a new suite of powers at their disposal, must also show leadership to do their part to ensure growth and prosperity is shared by all."

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Burnley

Andy Pike, co-author of the report and Professor of Local and Regional Development in the Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies at Newcastle University, said: "Many cities in the North are growing but are failing to keep up with national trends.

"There are three kinds of such cities - 'core', 'overshadowed' and 'freestanding' - each with different predicaments and potentials for growth and prosperity. If the commitment to rebalancing in the UK is meaningful then greater policy attention and resources by central and local government needs to be focused upon the particular needs of these cities lagging behind."

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Blackburn has been mentioned as a struggling town

We want to harness the North's massive potential

Department for Communities and Local Government spokesman

A Department for Communities and Local Government spokesman said: "The Northern Powerhouse will transform our great northern cities and rebalance the economy, having already helped create record employment rates and getting more than 440,000 people into work since 2010.

"So far we have secured a host of devolution deals, and invested in transport, science and the arts across the region, backed by more than £4 billion of new funding from central Government.

"We want to harness the North's massive potential to drive the UK's economy, and its prospects make it a lucrative place to invest and live."

The Northern Powerhouse” concepts has been greeted with cynicism in the region it is targeting, with it being dubbed the Northern ****house